Provisional Hart - Serge's Route
by Empress Raven
Summary: The tale of Alyss Hart as she navigates her life through Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy as a provisional student. In this route, Serge Durandal is the love interest.
1. Prologue

**Notes:** This doesn't follow the game storyline very closely. I kinda am drawing inspiration and just running with it. I wanted to use the headcanon I have for my MC and give her some love. My MC is named Alyss Hart (a common name I use for my MCs. I had no idea MC was canonly named Liz Hart until well afterwards. Haha). I'm not including all the characters either, because that would make this huge. They might show up as side characters, but they will be mentioned in passing more than anything. I am basically using the characters from the "Tower of Sorrow" and "Spring of the Unicorns" storylines, but replacing Azusa with Guy. Also, super spoilers for Randy March. If you haven't played his route, don't come here. Like, at all. Don't even read the tags. You read the tags didn't you? Why did you read the tags?! I have no idea how quickly this will be uploaded, but I am looking forward to getting this written. I haven't written a chapter fic in a long time, so I am a bit nervous. Let's see how this goes, eh?

* * *

It was a bright and sunny day at the end of Harvest season. Alyss Hart was on her knees in the dirt, fighting a losing battle with a coil of snakevine that had invaded her rainclaw patch. Her garden was rather large, containing all manner of magical plants for use in various potions. She grew everything from blood ivy to lavender. Today's harvest included rainclaw, sage, lavender, kitten whiskers, basil, goldthorn berries, and this damn Snakevine if it would just cooperate. Snakevine was useful in a tonic she could make to numb the skin during medical treatments, but it was incredibly temperamental to harvest, and just about as annoying to grow, so she generally just bought it mashed and bottled from the village.

Alyss lived alone in a tiny cottage, just outside the forest, on the Northeastern side of Reitz. Reitz was a tiny village in the middle of the mountains in Gedonelune. This area of the countryside was populated by kind and loving people who all worked to take care of one another. Reitz was mostly full of farmers and other country folk, with a few minor Wizards living among them. Of those wizards, was the Hart family. Adam Hart came from a strong Wizarding family, who fell into shambles when his Grandfather was framed by his closest friend, and falsely accused of Dark Magic. The persecution was so severe, that at a young age, Adam's parents sent him off to live with a family friend, who changed his familial name to Hart, after his maternal Grandmother. They moved to the countryside, into Reitz, for the sake of her health, but she passed just before Adam turned 18. He hid most of his magical ability, using magic only to aid the plants to grow, and worked as a vegetable farmer. On his third harvest season, he met Emma. Emma had been away for years studying at the Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy to become a respected Wizardess. Her area of study had been in Magic Potion Pharmaceuticals, so that she could be a doctor in her village.

The chemistry between them was unprecedented, and they were hopelessly smitten at first sight. Adam was of the belief that he didn't deserve a woman such as Emma, the daughter of the mayor. Emma was firm in her choice though, if she was to have any man, it had to be Adam. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't avoid her, even if he had wanted to. Emma's family owned the general store that he sold much of his produce to, so he often saw her there. Emma was quite aggressive in her courtship, surprising Adam with packed lunches and potions. Sneaking goodbye kisses when his guard was down, and leaving him no choice but to live with her at the forefront of his mind. By the time Spring had arrived, he had given up and began courting her properly. Their love was pure and deep, and before Summer was in full swing, they had earned her father's approval to marry. They chose to marry at the first snowfall, as Emma had always dreamed of being wed in a world of white. She used a magic spell to rain a shower of pale, pink, posies over them as they exchanged their vows.

That Autumn, Adam would begin the bad joke that they had spent the last day of Harvest season "harvesting" a daughter instead of potatoes. They named their little girl, Alyss, and their life was happy and full of joy. Alyss had the most loving parents anyone could ask for. Adam would teach her about the planting and harvest, all while playing with her just to see her smile. Emma would teach her cooking and baking, and eventually taught her to help brew the potions she used in her healing. But what Alyss enjoyed the most, were the magic lessons.

Alyss' magical abilities had manifested the full moon before she turned six. It was another month before her parents realized what was going on. She didn't think anything of it, when she woke up one day and was able to understand the animals that lived in the forest, who would come to visit their home during the day. Emma began to suspect that their daughter was magical, something that Adam continued to deny, until the day Alyss managed to levitate herself around the cottage without a spell. After they had spent three hours trying to get her down, and to stay on the ground, Adam had to admit that his daughter was, indeed, magical. Adam was against Alyss learning any magic, but he loved his wife and wanted her to be happy, so he allowed it. Though he wanted to support Alyss in everything, he wasn't thrilled with her dream of attending the Gedonelune Royal Magical Academy, as her mother had. He would use the excuse that he would be too lonely without her, but he was really just worried that his family connections would be discovered and she would become an outcast the way his grandfather had.

Alyss loved magic, and being taught it by her mother just made it even more special to her. She learned a few basic spells, mostly healing spells that her mother used in her work, all while learning potion making under her mother's watchful eye. Her magic glowed and sparkled with love, and she never failed in a spell, so she was so certain that she would have no trouble entering the academy when she was old enough to attend.

But all that changed when she was eight.

An epidemic swept the countryside, claiming the health and lives of many people in Reitz and surrounding villages. Those that lived through the sickness were never the same again, and were often bedridden until they wasted away. Her parents weren't able to avoid the sickness, and Alyss had to watch as they grew pale and the sickness stole their vitality. She made them tonics and soups, changed the cloths on their foreheads, and took care of them as best as she could, but it wasn't enough. When her father passed into a deep sleep, her mother pulled her into her arms and told her how much they loved her. How proud they were of who she was becoming, and encouraged her to always smile and be kind, and to follow her dreams no matter what. Emma told her to trust her gut instincts, and be mindful of her dreams, because they would never lead her astray. That she was sorry they couldn't stay with her longer, but that she would be alright, because she was special and loved, and the world would never abandon her. Then Emma kissed her forehead, each of her cheeks, her chin and her nose, as she did every night before bed, told her she loved her, and laid back on her pillow. Frightened, frustrated, and through her tears, Alyss cast healing spell after healing spell on her sleeping parents, but none of them worked. None of them could help them. They never could. This epidemic was just too much, even for magic. Alyss laid down her head and cried into the night. When morning came, her parents were gone, and Alyss was all alone.

But Reitz was full of kind people, and though her own blood relations had all passed away, be it from old age or the epidemic, there were plenty of people who were more than happy to look after the girl. The Woodsman would sleep on her couch most of the week, using the excuse of being closer to the forest in order to keep her company. The seamstress would always bring her bread and milk, and charge her a smile instead of coin. The farmers would take turns helping her with her land, before finally offering to purchase much of it, and giving her a cut of the harvest as part of their negotiations. The farmer's sons would help her with her garden, making sure she was tending it correctly. She had a talent for growing the herbs her mother had kept for potion making, and she was able to sell the leftover bounty.

As she grew, she became better able to care for herself. Cooking her own meals, doing her own shopping. Tending the gardens without help. After some time had passed, she even began to use magic again. Her talent to speak with animals flourished and she found an affinity with magic that was performed on them. She became an animal doctor by the suggestion of some of the villagers. Word of mouth had spread after she spoke with the chickens one of the farmers kept. A mongoose was stealing their eggs and leaving them injured. When she was able to ask them about it directly and then heal their wounds, the villagers started asking her to help their other livestock and then their pets.

* * *

"Ryo! There you are! I was wondering where you had run off to" Alyss reached over to scratch the fox sitting in a basket on the counter top behind his ears. He chittered back to her happily before yawning and falling back into a dose.

Ryoichi had been one of her patients the year before. The silver fox had gotten his paw caught into a snare trap and the bone was broken through. Alyss had rescued him, and healed him up, before he ran off deeper into the forest in fear. Over the following weeks, however, he would show up at the cottage almost daily. At first he would watch her from a distance as she worked. Eventually though, he would come right up next to her, playing around her, or attempting to help in her work. She would feed him kitchen scraps and scratch his head and back. Before she knew it, he was inviting himself inside and staying the night. Occasionally he would wander off, sometimes for a few hours and other times for a day or two, before showing back up like he had never left.

Alyss set her bounty on the counter and strung up the line she used to hang her herbs to dry from. She pulled off her sweater and flung it over the back of the couch and began to wash the herbs, one type at a time, drying them in towels to remove the bulk of the water. She then tied them in bunches to the line so they could begin to dry. She hummed softly while she worked, completely focused. Birds sat on the window boxes, eating the seed she would leave for them there and singing along, all while Ryo snored softly from his basket.

Once the herbs were all strung up, Alyss lifted her left arm and pointed her finger straight into the air. She drew a circle, clockwise, with her finger, positioning her hand at the end of her motion so her grip would be ready for the wand that was materializing in her hand. It was one of the first spells her mother had ever taught her. She wore a ring on her first finger that acted as a magic tool, giving her wand a place to live in a spacial dimension. The ring would then conduct her magical power through it to retrieve the wand when she needed it. "A wizardess must always have her wand if she wishes for magic to bless her with it's aid," her mother had always told her.

"Flama Flamio!" she recited in a commanding voice, conjuring a small string of fire that floated in the air a half a foot below the hanging herbs. This magical fire would not burn, but would provide the heat needed to warm up the cottage, not just for comfort, but also to dry the herbs quickly.

She set off deeper into the kitchen and grabbed her flint and tinder, because a flau spell would end in disaster, to light a fire under the hanging kettle so the soup stock could come to a boil. She gathered her vegetables and washed them, before chopping them up and tossing them into the kettle. Then she tenderized, seasoned, and cut the beef into smaller pieces before searing it on a skillet over the fire and tossing it into the soup as well once it had browned. She set the soup to a simmer and covered it, turning to begin the sweeping when there was a knock at her door.

"Miss Alyss? Are you seeing patients today?" a young man's voice called from outside.

"Yes, of course!" she opened the door, smiling brightly. She recognized him at once as Todd, the son of the pub owner. "Please come in and tell me your troubles."

"It's my sister's cat. She has been so lethargic, she's just really worried about her." He set the gray tabby down on the work table Alyss indicated. She quickly pulled on the apron she wore for work and gingerly approached the cat.

"Hi precious, what's your name?"

"Claire," the cat mewed back weakly.

"Hi Claire. So you are feeling tired lately? Do you know why?" Alyss asked her, petting her neck gently.

"I think I ate a weed the other day, and it's just given me a stomach ache," she purred. "I'm sure I'll be fine in a few days."

"What did the weed look like?"

"It was yellowish, with a white bulb at the end."

"Ah, silkgrass. I see. Yeah, that will give you a stomach ache for sure. But that is an easy enough fix." Alyss went to her hutch and pulled open the cabinet doors, fiddling her fingers as they ran across the bottles inside, looking for the one with the right label. This hutch contained a vast array of liquids, tonics, potions, herbs, stones, and bark used for healing and other things. She finally found the one she was looking for, an amber liquid the thickness of syrup and brought it over to the table. She went back and grabbed jars with rosemary, goldthorn berries, and sunflowers and placed them on the table as well. She grabbed a mortar and pestle and an empty vile and began preparing the medicine. She ground three sunflower seeds and two pinches of rosemary into a fine powder, and then added four goldthorn berries to make make a watery paste. After mixing in a dribble of the amber syrup, and poured the mixture into the empty vile and handed it to Todd.

"Just pour a dollop of this into Claire's meals until it's all gone and her stomach will be fine in no time. Try to mix it with fish if you can, that will make it taste less bitter to her." She smiled and turned to Claire. "And you be careful around that silkgrass. I don't want to have to see you so sad and ill again." Alyss giggled and scratched at her head as Claire mewed her thanks and licked at her fingers.

"Thank you so much! My sister will be so thankful." Todd smiled bashfully as he deposited his coin on the table to pay for the service.

"Anytime at all. It's starting to get late. Be safe on your way back!"

* * *

After seeing Todd and Claire off, Alyss returned to her housework, sweeping the floors and putting the laundry from that morning away. Her herbs had finished drying, so she called off the Flamio spell and began packing them into jars, vials, or between butcher paper and into boxes for storage. Some were crushed into powers, while others had their leaves picked from the stems. Nothing went to waste, every part of the plant playing some part to some potion she could make. Ryo and her set down and had some of the soup she had made, talking about the garden and the various things she needed to do for the rest of the week.

She believed it was going to be a calm and simple night, as she did the dishes. Just as she had finished and was getting ready to grab a novel to read until bed, there was a noise at the door.

"Alyss Hart. Is this the home of Miss Alyss Hart?" a snooty voice said through the wood.

"Err… yes?" she replied timidly, opening the door to see… no one? There was no one there! She was certain she had heard a voice. "Hello?" she called nervously.

"Up here." She looked up to see a scroll of parchment floating just above her head. "Wha…?" she replied in a confused tone. The paper was talking. Does paper usually talk? Is that a new thing like animals talking that she was going to have to get used to? Were lamps going to talk next? Did she want lamps to talk? Oh crap, the paper has been talking. What has the paper been saying? Oh, he sounds annoyed. Can paper have a gender?

"Are you listening?" the parchment spoke up, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Yes! I mean, no. I'm sorry." She admitted despondently.

"Well," he sighed, annoyed. "As I said, I am the Acceptance Letter. On behalf of the Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy, I would like to invite you to come with me as a new student."

"You…" she stared at him blankly as she processed what he had said. "Are a letter that wants me to be a student… A student!" She squeaked when his words finally hit her. "You mean, I've been accepted? I've really been accepted to Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy?"

"Yes, you've been accepted to attend, so start packing. We leave first thing in the morning." He replied gruffly, floating past her and into the cottage.

"Wait, tomorrow?!" Oh man, how was she ever going to get packed in time?

* * *

 **Notes Cont:** I hate writing prologues. I feel like I am always too stiff in them and that it isn't until later chapters when my writing opens up and feels more natural. I need to get better at that. Prologues have to hook people if you are going to use them… mine never seem to. I am planning on writing out three routes, choosing the love interests as Serge, Yukiya and Elias. The route will split off at the second or third day and they will be uploaded accordingly. I'm starting with Serge. Plans may change on releasing the other two depending how I feel by the time I am done with his route. This story will take upload priority to my AO3 account, but it will make it's way here as well.


	2. Day One : An Useless Map

Alyss was running through a forest. Something was chasing her, but she wasn't certain what. She felt like it wanted her help, but it was afraid and confused and wanted to do her harm instead. She stopped and looked around her. There were silhouettes of three men surrounding her, guarding her, but she couldn't make them out. Every time she thought she could see them clearly, they would escape just outside of her vision. She just saw flashes of color. Gold. Green. Pink. Blue. Blue? She looked up and saw pale blue petals falling like a rain shower.

There was a growl behind her. She turned sharply and saw the shadow of a great beast with glowing, golden eyes staring at her. A whooping scream made her jump as fur brushed her leg, Ryoichi had come to stand before her, protecting her from the beast. The beast took a step forward, readying his strike, when another large beast tackled it from the side. Feline roars blended with the canine growls of the beast as they wandered deeper into the forest, fighting one another for dominance.

Someone grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him, running away from the directions of the beasts. The other two men had disappeared. Why weren't they coming as well? She called out to the man, but he just kept running, his hand ever tightly holding on to her own. They came to a clearing, where a body of water sat flickering calmly in the moonlight. A flash of crimson flooded her vision as the man turned to face her. His body was shadowed, but a single tear glistened at his eye, as blood pooled around their feet. He looked up at her, speaking to her, though his voice was muffled.

"…Alyss." She ran to him, begging him. What she was begging for, she didn't know. His body began to fade. The more she clung to him, the faster he disappeared.

"Alyss." She fell to her knees, tears pouring from her eyes as she sobbed. His tears landed on the ground and sparked, like crystals exploding on stone.

"Alyss! Wake up now!" She bolted upright in her seat, breathing heavily, shocked and disoriented at the voice ringing in her ears. Light shone across her vision and the fog began to dissipate from her eyes.

"Wha…?" She looked around blearily. She was sitting in a luxury seat of plush velor in a faded coral. The wooden walls were carved with intricate designs. In front of her, fluttered a rather annoyed looking bit of parchment. "Oh, Mr. Acceptance Letter. Good morning."

"Morning?" He huffed, "It's late in the afternoon, for your information. You've slept the whole trip! Now get ready to disembark. We are nearly at the station."

"Hmm?" Alyss looked out the window, waking in a rush as she stared in awe. Across a deep blue lake, on the edge of the peninsula, she could see Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy's main buildings, towering majestically above the treetops. "Oh wow! It's so beautiful! I can't believe we are finally here!"

"Hmph. Finally? You slept the whole time, how could you possibly have been anticipating it all this time?" the acceptance letter muttered.

* * *

"Whoa…" Alyss twirled around in awe at the room she found herself in. The vaulted ceilings with ribbed vaults gave the room the impression of an ancient cathedral. The marble floors were polished and pristine with lovely checker patterns throughout. The acoustics of the room made the clacking of her Mary Jane's echo around her.

After disembarking from the train, the Acceptance Letter had led her to the Academy gates. After a half-hearted bout of encouragement and gifting her with an unlabeled, and therefore rather pointless, map, he had transformed himself back into a regular bit of parchment. Left to her own devices, Alyss had attempted to find her way to the girl's dormitories, but the sheer size of the grounds, and the terribly unhelpful map she was given, was enough to overwhelm her and she had taken to given herself a tour instead.

Admiring the ceilings, Alyss brushed her ash brown side bangs out of her eyes and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. Her twin buns bounced gently on top her head as she walked, twirling around as she went to see every inch of the room she could. A flash of gold caught her vision and she looked over to see an elaborate podium with a set of scales atop it. The scales were made of gold with diamond accents and a large topaz in the center of it's main column. Golden leaves and filigree decorated the support structure and the scale bases were suspended by Napoleon chains. It was heavily polished, and obviously very well cared for. It was elegance, beauty; the gemstones glittered in the light and she found herself reaching out in a daze, desperate to feel it.

"Don't touch that." A warm hand reached past and firmly gripped her wrist, long fingers trailing up into her palm. Startled, she stepped backwards and her shoulders planted themselves firmly against a broad chest. She looked back over her shoulder and found herself looking up into a pair of the most perfectly formed lips she had ever seen. A blush began to dust her cheeks as she trailed her eyes upward, past the perfectly formed nose of Adonis, and found her view locked with a pair of severe violet eyes peaking out behind curly locks of golden blond hair. Alyss had never believed in fairy tales and handsome princes, but this man had to have been pulled out of one. She couldn't help but notice the size of his hand holding on to hers, so much bigger than her own. He looked to be quite a few years older as well. He was most definitely a man, and that left her feeling very small, young, and insignificant.

"Just what do you think you are doing, Bunnyhead?" Lost in his eyes, it took her a moment to realize he was talking to her. "Bu… bunnyhead?" she replied, her tone confused. "Yes, your hair looks like a bunny. Now, what are you doing in here?"  
"I was looking for the dormitories." She replied bashfully.  
"On the other side of campus?" he asked dryly.  
"Well, my map wasn't very useful, you see…" she began half-heartedly, still dazed by his incredibly good looks.  
"You can't even read a map? Honestly, Bunnyhead, what kind of a dullard are you?" he asked with a smirk. Yep. Daze was gone. She ripped her hand from his twirling around to face him, her cloak flowing around her at the motion.  
"First of all, don't call me 'Bunnyhead', my name is Alyss. Use it. And secondly, how dare you! Who do you think you are going around and calling someone you've barely met names? Your parents must be ashamed to have raised such a person!" She glared at him as fiercely as she could. However, seeing the mirth in his eyes as he raised an eyebrow at her and widened his smirk, she began to feel more like a kitten trying to stare down a tiger.  
"My apologies," he chuckled. "I didn't mean to anger the little bunny." She groaned in annoyance as he took a step back and schooled his features. "Now then, since you have confirmed to me that you are the new student, Alyss Hart, would you care to tell me why you are here instead of meeting me at the platform as you were instructed?"  
"Meeting you at the platform? I wasn't told anything about that."  
"The Acceptance Letter should've told you to stay there so I could retrieve you."  
"Well, he said nothing of the sort. He told me to go to the gates, gave me an unlabeled map, said I should find the dorms and then went back to being a parchment. Don't hold me responsible for something that isn't my fault."

"All that aside, you've wasted enough of my time, standing me up at the platform. Let's get a move on." He exhaled tiredly, turning from her to head to the doors.  
"A move on with what?" She followed him slowly, noticing how his loafers echoed with each annoyed step. How hadn't she heard him come in? He walked so loud.  
"It is my duty to show you around the academy. You've found the auditorium, which will help helpful to you later, so now you just need to see the rest." He replied simply as he continued to walk across the marbled floor.  
"You could at least stop and introduce yourself. You're bringing shame to your parents with every step." She grumbled in protest as she quickened her pace, slamming into his back when he stopped abruptly.  
"I am the Prefect, Klaus Goldstein." He turned to face her, a haughty look on his features.  
"Goldstein…" she let the name play across her tongue, stirring up something in her memory. "Wait, not one of those Goldsteins?" she asked him in shock.  
"Indeed." He replied with a smirk. Her reactions were hilarious, every thought and emotion showed up on her face. Her eyes had widened at his affirmation, before settling down, much to his displeasure, as it appeared she was only momentarily impressed.  
"Huh. Well, I suppose it's nice to meet you." She replied in her disinterest. His family was well known for making magical tools, but that didn't mean they had fabulous personalities. Fame can turn a person sour. "Now… what's a prefect?"  
"A Prefect is a student leader. Someone with top grades, a great understanding of the material, and a good rapport with the professors. I take care of student conflicts, oversee event organization, and occasionally fill in for a professor who is unable to teach a lesson." His smirk was back. He really did think highly of himself, didn't he?  
"Ah, I see."

He led her over to a side door, walking down a covered pathway that led into the main building. He walked as briskly as he talked, pointing off to the direction of the library and showing her to the main foray of the academy. The staircase was beautiful and extravagant, with deep red carpeting on the stairs. The handrails were carefully varnished to protect the painstakingly intricate carvings in the wood. The academy was a grandly furnished castle, clearly planned carefully, to bring out all the elegance of an era long since past with each Lune spent in it's construction and upkeep.  
"On this main floor, is mostly teacher offices, the headmaster's room, the library, dining hall, and that sort. All the classes are up these stairs, Fortitudo's are to the right, fourth door down the hall on the left side with the labs room across the hall. The music room is…"  
"I'm sorry, Fortitudo?" she interrupted, earning a sigh in response.  
"There are four classes within the academy. The class of wisdom, Serpenteer, Potestas, the class of power, Fortitudo, the class of courage, and Will Ingenious, which is home only to the prodigies." He recited, almost like a textbook, in a bored voice.  
"Oh, I see." She replied, genuinely impressed. She hadn't heard anything about the class assignments and was curious what sorts of people made up each one of them.  
"You were assigned to Fortitudo, which I am certain will be quite accurate, being you seem to have more guts than brains." He said with a mean-spirited laugh.  
"What is your problem?" Alyss snapped at him. "You've been nothing but rude to me since the moment we met, quite frankly for no reason. I've done nothing to you and I certainly don't deserve or appreciate such treatment." She glared at him, choosing to ignore her rage building in her chest at the sight of his signature smirk playing about his perfectly… supple lips and oh my gosh why did she suddenly want to kiss him? This guy was horrible! No. Bad brain. Bad.  
"My job is to show you around, Miss Hart. It's not to play nice or make friends. If my personality offends you, well, it seems there is nothing you can do about it, now is there?" He challenged, stepping closer to her.  
"On the contrary Prince Prefect," He scowled at the nickname. "I have my own options. Thank you so much for this…" she waved her hand around, pretending to be at a loss for words. "…lovely tour of the academy, but I'm sure I'll be fine on my own. Good day sir." Her tone strong, she turned on her heel and stomped quickly to the large doors, her suitcase rolling raggedly behind her as she left him behind.

She quickly descended the stairs and rushed off to the left. She wasn't sure where she was headed, but it was away from Klaus, so nothing else mattered. "That self-centered… Arrogant!" she muttered under her breath. How can someone so good looking have such a sour attitude? It's a travesty! No one should be allowed to be so dreamy and still be such a prick. It's not fair to all the innocent maidens of the world, waiting to fall in love with their prince.  
"Hey cutie, why are you in such a hurry?" a voice near her ear made her jump with a shriek, causing the owner of the voice to burst into deep laughter. She looked over and saw a handsome man with green hair and eyes, and an emerald earring in one of his ears. He looked like he was just a bit older than her, maybe two or three years but still younger than Klaus, so he must, at least, be an upperclassmen. "Relax, I don't bite. Unless you would like me to?" he replied in a husky voice, wagging his eyebrows at her.  
"No, that's quite alright, thank you." She replied calmly, stepping a bit away from him. He screamed danger to her, and she couldn't help but put up her guard.  
"Luca, stop bothering her." A proud voice called out. She glanced over to see two men about her age walking over to them. One of them had dark blue hair and an eye patch covering one of his mauve eyes, who was followed by a wolf. The other, was the very vision of a Goldstein, with his honey blond hair, amethyst eyes and strong chin. "Oh my Gods, another one." She muttered softly under her breath, choosing to ignore the snicker coming from the one, apparently called 'Luca'.  
"Oh come now, I was being good. Just thought I should introduce myself to the cute little kitten." He waved his arm around with a flourish, bowing as he grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles. "My name is Luca Orlem, it's wonderful to meet you." He said with a wink.  
"Oh, oh um, yes, you as well." She stammered. "I'm-"  
"Alyss Hart." He replied before she could, a knowing smile gracing his lips.  
"How do you know that?" the man with the blue hair asked him.  
"Never underestimate my resource network, Yukiya. The things I know would make you tremble in fear." The blonde scoffed at Luca's reply, stepping forward to offer his hand. "I'm-"  
"Another Goldstein." Alyss interrupted in a soft voice. "Err, yes. Elias Goldstein." He replied, confused. "Wow," Alyss' voice was breathy as she spoke, almost too soft for them to hear, her eyes bewitched by his good looks. "Good genes." Luca burst into a boisterous bout of laugher as a blush crept it's way up Elias' neck and dusted across his cheeks. She snapped her attention back to the situation, shaking her head to scare off the blush that was trying to weasel it's way out onto her cheeks and took Elias' hand. "Yes, I'm Alyss. It's a pleasure to meet you." She bowed her head politely to him and then released his hand to reach over to the other man.  
"Yukiya Reizen." He introduced himself with an air of indifference. "Yes, pleased to meet you as well, Yukiya." She looked down to his familiar. "Nice to meet you as well Mr. Wolf." She smiled at the creature, who tossed his head away from her in a spell of obvious rejection. Alyss clicked her tongue in response as the three men looked on with bewildered, or in the case of Luca, amused, looks on their faces.  
"Did you expect the wolf to reply?" Luca snickered.  
"Hey! Don't laugh! I have the magical ability to talk to animals. This one however, is purposely ignoring me."  
"Are you sure he understood what you said?" Elias questioned, unconvinced.  
"Oh, I'm sure, but whatever." She rolled her eyes and took a calming breath. "So, could you guys point me in the direction of the dormitories? I'm not completely sure where to go and I'd like to head that way and settle in quickly."  
"You should have a map-" Elias began. "Yes! I have a map, it's useless and I don't want to talk about it. Could you just point me. Please?" She countered firmly, her expression softening as she realized she was starting to take her frustrations with his brother out on him.  
"It's down this path, past the botanical gardens. It's the big building on the left." Yukiya replied simply, pointing to the pathway behind them to the left.  
"Yukiya. Thank you!" she replied gratefully. "It was nice to meet you all, I hope to see you again." She bowed gently before grabbing the handle of her suitcase and starting off toward the path.  
"Wait," Elias called out, walking over to her. "Let me walk you."  
"Prince Elias, to the rescue." Luca muttered, disgustedly.  
"How many times have I told you not to call me that! It's disgraceful to the royal family!" Elias countered back, annoyance thick on his voice as the tension between the two men rose to uncomfortable levels quickly. Alyss stepped between them quickly, hoping to defuse the tension. "I'll be fine on my own, but thank yo-"  
"HART!" a deep rumble echoed around the corner.  
"And now I have to go before I have another run in with Prince Prefect." She said hurriedly with a forced smile and another quick bow of her head.  
"Prince Prefect?" Luca asked with a laugh as Klaus came storming around the corner and heading right for them.  
"Miss Hart," Klaus started, tersely, annoyed that she refused to look at him, choosing instead to casually look around the courtyard as she ignored his presence. "I believe we were in the middle of our tour before you so rudely ran off."  
"No, we were done with our tour. I don't take kindly to rudeness, and I certainly don't cower to a poor temperament that can't handle being walked out on. Now, as I said before, good day, sir!" she declared in a firm voice before turning and walking off quickly once again, her cloak fluttering behind her with every step and she walked off into the botanical gardens.

The four men watched after her as she left. Yukiya was rather indifferent to the whole spectacle, but was slightly worried about what she had gotten herself into. Luca, was doubled over in laughter. He had already used his information network to get the low down on her and was interested enough before she had even arrived. Upon meeting her, he was happy to see she was cute and easy to fluster, since she would be fun to tease, but he was thrilled to witness her personality. She was either fearless or guileless, he wasn't certain, but after watching her talk back to the Emperor of all people, he was very interested in seeing her again. Elias was hovering somewhere between being worried for the pretty girl with the bright smile, not that such things interested him, and being impressed that she was brave enough to talk back to Klaus. No one ever went against Klaus, not even him, and a bit of envy assaulted him before he pushed it down and decided that she was nothing more than a foolish little girl. Klaus was annoyingly captivated, never had a girl been so bold as to speak back to him, much less turn her back to him. The girls around him were generally vapid and witless, or too shy to even approach him. He'd never met a strong willed woman like her, who was as beautiful as she was feisty. He was going to enjoy pushing her buttons, not to mention learning which buttons would make her squirm around him.

* * *

Alyss' steps had calmed when she realized Klaus wasn't following her, and she slowed her pace to take in the gardens as she walked through them. The gardens were lush and beautiful, with all manner of flowers blooming around her. A chatter called out her way as Ryoichi appeared from around a bush, carrying a plush toy in his mouth.  
"Ryo! There you are!" Ryoichi had run off on his own as soon as hey arrived at the school gates. She was thrilled to find him, worried he wouldn't have been able to find her once she was housed away in the dorms. "What's that you have there?" she asked as she reached out to the plush toy. He gave it up easily and then walked around her and jumped into the gourd shaped basket that hung off her luggage and acted as his travel bed. Alyss looked down at the plush toy in her hands. It looked like a bear, but had larger ears that looked closer to a rabbit and a fluffy pom style tail. It was wearing a green waistcoat and a yellow bow tie and looked horribly sad. She turned it to the side and saw a large rip on the seam of it's arm.  
"Aww, you poor thing. You're ripped up." She commented offhandedly as she looked at the toy.  
"Yep, me ripped." The plush toy replied with a pouty voice. Alyss blinked twice before screaming awkwardly. "You can talk!" she accused the toy. "Yep. Me talk! Me Taffy!"  
"Taffy?" she questioned, trying to wrap her brain around the talking stuffed toy. "Yep! Me Taffy. Who're you?"  
"Oh, I'm Alyss. Alyss Hart." She replied dumbly. "Alyss!" it cheered. "Me happy to meet Alyss." She couldn't help but smile. It was sweet, even if she couldn't get her head around the idea of a talking toy. "So, how did you get ripped, Taffy?"  
"I was helping my master!" Taffy replied proudly. "Your master?" Alyss hoped he would tell her who his master was, but Taffy didn't volunteer it. "Yes! Master is great wizard and always does experiments. Taffy was used for experiment, but it failed and Taffy went flying through the air." His shiny bead eyes glossed over and cartoonish tears leaked from the bottoms of them, soaking the fabric of his cheeks. "Then Taffy got caught in a bird's mouth and when it dropped Taffy, Taffy fell into a brambles and was torn!" he finished in a large sob.  
"Oh, don't cry Taffy. I know, why don't I mend you?" Alyss asked as she reached over to pull her sewing kit from the side pocket of her suitcase. "Alyss can mend me?" Taffy asked hopefully. "Of course! It's a small tear, I can sew that right up." Alyss replied cheerfully as she walked over to set down on a bench. Taffy nodded his assent and offered his arm to her once she had threaded her needle.  
"Alright, lets get you fixed up." She pulled Taffy into her lap and began to sew the tear closed. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly. "Yep! Taffy fine." He replied cheerfully. "It doesn't hurt?"  
"Nope, it tickles!" Taffy chuckled. Once she had finished, Taffy cheered as he looked over his arm.  
"Yay! Taffy is all better!" Alyss chuckled. "Well, I'm glad I could help."  
"Yep! Alyss was big help! Taffy likes Alyss so much!" Taffy put his hands on his cheeks as he smiled. Alyss couldn't help finding him adorable. "I know! Taffy will introduce Alyss to my master! I'm sure Master will like Alyss too! Come! Follow me!" Taffy jumped off the bench and quickly walked off to the edge of the gardens toward a forest.  
"Oh Taffy, wait for me!" Alyss hurried to catch up, but quickly lost sight of the little bunny-bear.

Alyss wandered around for a few minutes, trying to find Taffy, but having no luck. Just as she was about to give up, she heard a voice above her.  
"Hey! Hey! Watch out! We're gonna hit you!" Alyss tried to look up, but was knocked backward to the ground, landing firmly on her bottom. "Uh, ouch." She said as she tried to sit up. Confused by the weight on her, she looked up to find herself gazing into a pair of rose colored eyes under watermelon pink curls.  
He was sitting on his knees, her legs bent at the knee and resting against his, his body bent forward over her and held up by his hands which were planted firmly on the ground near her hips. A sweet scent of sugar with a light musk found it's way to her nose. His jaw was slack, his lips parted in awe of her as his eyes roamed her face. He was afraid to breathe, afraid to blink, worried she would just disappear. He watched as she lowered her chin closer to her chest as her eyes gazed up at him in discomfort and confusion. He watched as her tongue flicked out to lick her lips before she spoke. "Uh… um…" He shook off his daze, blinking repeatedly. "Oh! I'm sorry!" He nearly shouted in his embarrassment, standing up and offering her his hand. "Are you alright?"  
"Oh, I'm fine." She replied nervously as she took his hand. He pulled her up with ease, surprising her with the natural strength of a man, something she was hardly familiar with. His heart pounded in his chest as he looked at her dainty hand in his before freeing it from his grip before he frightened her more.  
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to… I was trying to fly you see, but it didn't go so well." He chuckled self derisively.  
"You were trying to fly? But you have no broom?" She questioned, looking around them.  
"Oh yeah, brooms are no fun. Really uncomfortable too." He began before a cute voice interrupted him.  
"Master! I told you I'm not for flying!" Taffy came crawling out of a nearby bush.  
"Taffy!" Alyss and the man said in tandem before looking over at one another in surprise.  
"Wait, you know Taffy?" he asked quickly.  
"This is Alyss! Alyss mended Taffy! She's so nice." Taffy spoke up to introduce her. "Alyss, this is my Master."  
"Oh, it's nice to meet you." Alyss gave a quick curtsy.  
"Taffy, were you hurt?" he asked the plush toy as he picked him up and set him on his shoulder. "Yeah, Taffy had a tear. But Alyss fixed Taffy all up!" Taffy replied happily, which made Alyss smile.  
"Wow, how did you fix him? What kind of magic did you use?" the man leaned close to her, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.  
"Um, I didn't use magic." Alyss said, taking a half a step back. He clearly had no concept of personal space. "I just used a needle and thread."  
"Wow! You can do that Alyss? That's so cool!" he replied happily, his eyes squinting with his glee.  
"Oh, it's no problem." She glanced at the sky and saw that it was darkening. "I should be heading out though, I need to get to the dorms before curfew." It was then that his eyes looked around, taking stock in her luggage behind her.  
"Oh! You're a new student!" he announced. "Come, I'll walk you to the dorms!" he walked off, grabbing her suitcase to pull along for her as he led the way.  
"Oh, that's fine. I wouldn't want to put you out." She hurried after him, placing her hand on his to take the suitcase before realizing the boldness of it all and pulling her hand back quickly as a blush dusted her cheeks.  
"No, it's fine." He said with a chuckle. "I need to pay you back for mending Taffy anyway. I'll have to think of something bigger to apologize for falling on you though." He added, smiling wryly.

They headed off towards the dormitories, talking lightly as they went. He was tall and handsome, his curly hair, sparkling like cotton candy in the setting sun, gave him a warmth that made you want to smile. His rose colored eyes pulled you in deeply and left you feeling like they could see down to your very soul. He was older than her, but she wasn't certain by how much. His childlike looks led her to think he was close to Luca's age, but the angles of his jaw and the substantial size of his body made her question if he wasn't nearer to Klaus' age. She was trying desperately not to stare at him, but her eyes weren't wanting to cooperate very well. Every time she would look over and meet his eyes, she would blush deeply and look away in a hurry, not hearing his quiet chuckle. He couldn't keep his eyes off her as they walked. He had never had much interest in girls, preferring to focus on his magic, but even magic hadn't enchanted him the way she had. He took inventory of her appearance as they strolled along, noting the shininess of her ash brown hair, the warmth in her gray eyes. He basked in the faint scent of strawberries and cream he had picked up from her when they were close. He couldn't get over how small and delicate looking she was compared to him. Her smile sent shivers across his body and the plumpness of her cherry blossom lips summoned warmth from within. He wanted to brush his fingers across them to see if they were as soft as they looked.

"So, why did you decide to come and study at the academy?" he asked with a crooked smile, trying to distract himself from his growing desire to touch her.  
"Well, partly because I want to pay my village back by becoming a great wizardess, but mostly because I would like to become a tamer." She replied bashfully.  
"A tamer huh? So you like animals?" he asked in interest.  
"Yes, very much." She laughed softly in her embarrassment. "Actually, I really admire Serge Durandal." She was speaking cheerfully, looking off into the distance and didn't notice the smile fall from his face as it was replaced with worry. "So if I could become even half the wizard he is, then I think I would be doing pretty well for myself." She finished with a laugh.  
"You're probably better off finding a different idol." He said tersely, causing her to shift her focus onto him in confusion. "He's nothing special." He finished bitterly, averting his eyes from her face.  
"What… do you mea-" she started before he stopped, pulling a cheery mask over his face and changing the subject dramatically.  
"And here we are! Ta-da!" he hopped once, his arms opening with a flourish. "The girls dormitories! Told you I'd get you here." He walked back to her, bopping one of her buns with the palm of his hand. "You should get inside before curfew. The housemothers for the dorms can be really scary, you don't want to get them mad. See ya again, Alyss!" he waved as he hurried away.  
"Oh, wait!" she called after him, but he either didn't hear or ignored her voice. "I didn't even hear your name." She said softly as she watched him walk away and disappear around the large, stone fence of the dorm.

* * *

After stepping inside and meeting with the housemother, who seemed more like a strict mother than a scary disciplinarian, she had headed upstairs to find room 229 and meet her roommate. She wondered what sort of a girl it would be and hoped that they would be able to get along. She came across the door and knocked gently.  
"Come on in!" a bright and cheerful voice rang out from behind the door. Alyss took a deep breath and turned the knob to end. "I'm coming in." She stepped inside and as soon as her eyes had adjusted to the light difference between the room and the hallway, she was assaulted by a cheerful smile just inches from her own.  
"Hi! I'm Amelia Nile! You must be Alyss! I've been waiting for you to arrive for a while, I was starting to worry you had gotten lost actually." The girl with ginger hair and pumpkin colored eyes that sparkled with elation spoke quickly, taking a step backwards to give her more space. Alyss felt herself sigh with relief, at least her roommate seemed like someone she could get along with.  
"Yes, I'm Alyss Hart. It's nice to meet you, Amelia." She replied with a smile. "Oh, and this is Ryoichi." She pointed to the fox who had just popped his head out of the basket he had been napping in. Amelia showed her around the room, pointing out her bed and wardrobe, and telling her about the information the Academy had left for her on her desk as she reminded her to read the rules. She then happily signed the paperwork to allow Ryoichi to stay in the dorms as Alyss' familiar that the housemother had given her.

"But wow you are late in getting here. I was starting to worry that something had happened to you." Amelia commented, carefully hanging garments into the wardrobe while helping Alyss with her unpacking.  
"Yeah, a lot of things happened. It started with a useless map and moved into a run-in with the Prefect, a meeting with three guys who were all too handsome for their own good, and then ended with being assaulted by an enigma wrapped in taffy with a side of cotton candy." Alyss replied tiredly.  
"What?! Oh gosh, I need details!" Amelia bounced up to her, bubbling with curiosity. Alyss couldn't help but giggle. Amelia was so fun and full of energy. She took a deep breath and told her all about the drama of the day, smiling as Amelia hung on every word with wide eyes.  
"Girl, you have some serious luck! The Emperor is super popular because of his good looks, but everyone just ignores his personality most the time."  
"The Emperor?" Alyss tilted her head in puzzlement.  
"Yeah," Amelia laughed. "That is what everyone calls Prefect Klaus."  
"Huh. I think I like 'Prince Prefect' better." Alyss said thoughtfully.  
"Prince Prefect! Haha! I love it! But no, Elias is the Prince of the school. He even has his own fan-club!"  
"Are you serious?" Alyss snorted.  
"He's very popular. Yukiya is good looking, but you should probably stay away from him."  
"Why?" Alyss worried at the sudden seriousness of Amelia's tone.  
"Uh… he… well, you should just steer clear of him. There are a lot of rumors about him." Amelia nervously changed the subject. "Luca is gorgeous, but he's a huge trouble maker and is known as being a big lady killer. As for Mr. Mysterious Sweet-tooth though, I'm not familiar with him. "  
"Mr. Mysterious Sweet-tooth?" Alyss laughed.  
"Yeah! You said he seemed sweet as candy and had cotton candy hair didn't you? It felt fitting." The girls both laughed. "I wonder if he's new, or a transfer or something. I usually know everything about anyone good looking, but I'm not familiar with his description at all. If he's as dreamy as he sounds though, I'm sure he will have fans of his own in no time."

The girls talked for a while longer before deciding it was time for bed. Alyss couldn't help but be nervous for her first day of classes the next morning and thought she would have trouble sleeping, so she was quite surprised when sleep took her quickly.

"Three paths lay before you. What future will you choose for yourself?"

Alyss whipped her head around, trying to find the source of the voice, but she was only met with fog. Suddenly, she was falling, her vision blurring as she descended. She hit the concrete below her and felt herself pulled firmly into a man's arms. She tried to look at him, but she couldn't seem to open her eyes, almost like her energy had escaped her.

"No. Please no. Don't leave me!" The man pleaded with her. His voice echoed strangely, almost like she was hearing it from under water. Droplets of water dripped onto her cheeks, rolling down her face until she could taste their saltiness on her lips. Tears? Was he crying? She tried to reach her hand up to him, to comfort him, and then everything went black.

* * *

 **Notes:** I'm not happy with this chapter. I hate how I've written Klaus, but I have a new rule about my fics that I have to follow, so this is as good as it's going to get. I'm only allowing myself to re-write something 5 times (dialogue 10 times) before it is 'good enough'. Fanfiction is for practice and I'm never going to get over my anxiety of posting my work if I keep stressing over it. So thoughts and suggestions, constructive criticism, is totally welcome. I have no confidence in my writing right now, and I think it's making it come out of my fingers worse than it usually is. I sit there staring at it knowing I am capable of better, but with my anxiety, I should know that right now, this is the best I can do until I gain more confidence.  
Special thanks to my friend John (AO3: Killer_Moth) for not stabbing me with all my "Am I abusing these commas like the comma whore that I am?" emails.


End file.
